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Monthly Archives: September 2016

PISCATAWAY—One drill told the story of Steve Pikiell’s first practice as Rutgers men’s basketball coach.

The Scarlet Knights were doing two-on-two rebounding. Assistant coach Brandin Knight would miss a long jumper, and four players got after the ball like the national championship was at stake.

One rebound caromed off of the court, and three players sprinted after it as it rolled to the Rutgers Athletic Center bleachers. Postgrad C.J. Gettys, a 7-foot, 270-pound behemoth, crashed onto the floor to grab it.

“That makes me happy as a player, to see somebody who really wants it diving on the floor like that,” forward Deshawn Freemans aid. “That’s what we need to win games.”

Preseason tips off Friday and over the next six weeks we’ll watch Rutgers and Seton Hall try to put the jigsaw pieces together in time for opening night Nov. 11.

I’ll be covering the first Rutgers practice of the Steve Pikiell era Friday afternoon, and I’ll head to South Orange Wednesday for Seton Hall practice. In the meantime, here are some thoughts on both squads to set the stage:

Seton Hall men’s basketball returns four starters after winning the Big East Tournament last March. Filling the pieces around the core is the challenge at hand, one that kicks into high gear as full practices begin this weekend.

Seventh-year head coach Kevin Willard discussed the state of the Pirates Wednesday in this Q&A with Gannett New Jersey.

With his first season at the helm approaching — full practices begin this weekend after months of limited-time workouts — Pikiell discussed the challenge and his progress in frank terms in this wide-ranging Q&A with Gannett New Jersey.

“After Mike Rice, if Rutgers had approached him more aggressively, he would have considered leaving,” said Ben Gamble, who played basketball for Hurley and served as one of his assistants for 14 years. “He would have taken Rutgers and probably would have had the boys (Bobby and Dan) come with him to set the foundation. That was the closest he ever came.”

Hurley acknowledged his interest publicly after Rice was fired in April of 2013. Rutgers locked in on Eddie Jordan instead. But it might not have mattered, because Hurley’s loyalty to St. Anthony always won the day.

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About the Author

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.Email Jerry.